FAQ

Express Entry is Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ‘s file management system. Anyone who is applying as a member of the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Provincial Nominee (Express Entry Programs only) or the Canadian Experience Class submits their application through this system.

This type of application is a two step process where you submit your profile into the Express Entry System (if you meet the requirements of one of the qualifying immigration programs) and are then assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System score.

You then wait for your score to be selected, at which time you will be issued an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residency application

The Express Entry Pool is the database of all eligible Candidates, which have been accepted under the Express Entry file management system. This is where Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada selects people from to apply for Permanent Residency.

The amount of time it will take for you to receive an invitation to apply cannot be guaranteed as it is based on your score and when your score is selected. Some applicants have been selected after 2 days and some have been waiting for over 12 months. There is no guarantee you will ever be selected if your score is too low.

LMIA stands for Labour Market Impact Assessment. An LMIA is a written approval of a Canadian job offer issued by the Canadian Government, issued to a Canadian employer who wishes to hire a foreign worker.

Your visa will have an expiry date. You will need to enter Canada before this expiry date to avoid losing your status. The expiry date should be set for one year from the date you underwent your medical examination.

Canada does not quarantine all animals. Cats and dogs can accompany you to Canada without being quarantined as long as they are rabies vaccinated. You will need to complete some additional paper work for the Canada Border Services Agency. Other animals may not be allowed depending on country of origin. You will need to confirm before traveling.

Canada offers a variety of different immigrant services. There are immigrant services centres throughout Canada to assist you. Private organizations also offer other paid services such as airport collection, home finding assistance, etc.

For those applying as Federal Skilled Worker you can obtain eligibility points for having one of the following relatives in Canada. They do not provide any additional points on the Comprehensive Ranking System.

Choosing to use a representative is not a mandatory requirement of any Canadian immigration application. However, there are many benefits to hiring an authorized representative. Authorized representatives are trained in Canadian Immigration, attend mandatory yearly courses to keep up to date with changes to the law and requirements, can act on your behalf with the Canadian government and can complete your application on your behalf, saving you time. Authorized representatives are trained in completing all types of immigration applications and know all of the mandatory requirements as well as what goes into a successful application. There are many things that can come up during an application such as custody issues, medical inadmissibility issues and criminal inadmissibility issues which an authorized representative can assist you in overcoming. Authorized representatives also stay on top of all current immigration trends and changes, ensuring that your application is complete and current at the time of submission.

No. Depending on the country you are flying from, there may not be a direct flight to your anticipated destination. You need to keep in mind though that certain immigration programs require you to live in your stated destination.

Obtaining employment in Canada can be quite difficult. Many employers are not looking to hire foreign nationals. The reason for this is that if they do want to offer you the position, in most cases they need to complete something called a Labour Market Impact Assessment before you can apply for your work permit. Without this, the job offer may not be enough to allow you to apply for a Work Permit.

You can search for opportunities on Canadian job sites or employers job sites. Beware of Canadian employment scams … read more here

An Invitation to Apply is the document that you receive from the Canadian Government once your Comprehensive Ranking System Score has been selected. Only those who are in the Express Entry Pool and have had their score selected will receive an Invitation to Apply. This then allows you to apply for your Permanent Residency.

No. Certain applicants can qualify to immigrate to Canada without a job offer. For instance, those who qualify as Federal Skilled Workers, and have a high Comprehensive Ranking System Score can be eligible to immigrate without needing a job offer.

Once you have been entered into the Express Entry Pool of Applicants you will be assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System Score

This score is out of 1200

The first 600 points are based on your age, education, language abilities in French and English, qualifying work experience, Canadian work experience, your spouse’s education, your spouse’s language abilities in French or English and your spouse’s Canadian work experience as applicable

The remaining 600 points can be obtained by either obtaining a Provincial Nomination or a qualifying job offer from a Canadian employer with a Valid Labour Market Impact Assessment

This score will dictate if and when you are issued with an Invitation to Apply

If you are applying as a Federal Skilled Worker, you require a minimum score of 67 points or higher on the Federal Skilled Worker points system. You will then be entered into the Express Entry Pool and given a Comprehensive Ranking System Score.

There is no passing mark for the Comprehensive Ranking System Score. There are scores which are considered to be low and those that are considered to be high but there is no official passing score.